1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveyance system for conveying from one place to another designated place various kinds of articles such as a clinical card, chit, medicine or the like, in a hospital and more particularly to the improvement of a system for conveying articles in a multi-storied building as well as a lid opening and closing mechanism for a container case in which the article is accommodated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, when a clinical card, chart or other article is conveyed, for instance, between a medical affairs department and a medical examination room in a general hospital, conveyance is achieved with the use of various conveyance means, for instance, by using a case conveyor for the card, by using an air chuter for chit and by using a vertical conveyor for a heavy article. Further, a method of using a railway car is employed for conveying the aforesaid article with the use of same conveying means.
However, when the above-described system is employed, different kinds of plural conveying means are required and moreover provision of a plurality of these conveying means at the same location is required in order to increase the advantageous of convenience. Otherwise, it is inconvenient for personnel to walk a long distance to receive a required article. On the other hand, in the case of the above-described system it is possible to convey all articles merely with a single conveying means but a problem associated with the system is that the system is not suitable for a card, chit or the like which require need to be conveyed at high speed and to any desired place. When an air chuter is employed, it has speed but it is not suited for conveying a heavy articles. In addition, in view of the fact that a conveyance system generally moves along a curved conveyance path there is a need for installing a unit for preventing generation of noise, air sound, discharge sound or the like. Further, from the viewpoint of capacity, when a plurality of moving bodies move within a single moving section, the air chuter is not suitable.
In order to solve foregoing problems a linear induction motor at the main conveyance path may be employed. A plurality of branch paths are connected with the main conveyance path so that conveyance of article is carried out via the main conveyance path for mass conveyance. A typical linear conveyance system is shown in FIG. 18, in which an article such as medicine, a card or the like is conveyed in a container case.
However, this just-described linear conveyance system normally deals with conveyance on a single floor, and therefore a suitable arrangement by which an article can be conveyed between different stories of a building by utilizing the linear conveyance system is required.
However, since a conventional container case is constructed so that it is opened by turning two lid halves sideward, there is a need for additional space for allowing the lid halves to open sideward. This leads to the problem that at each station for delivery and arrival of article the opening through which a container case enters and leaves becomes enlarged. Particularly in the case where an automatic opening and closing mechanism is disposed for the container cases at each station, the conventional container case requires a space for opening the lid halves and therefore the container cases cannot be conveyed in side-by-side relation at the automatic opening and closing mechanism. As a result, the station itself must be designed in larger dimensions.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance system which assures that a large amount of articles such as a card, chit, medicine or the like can be conveyed at a high speed. Also, it is an object of the present invention to effectively convey such articles between different stories in a multi-storied building.